SUNY Canton Earns Top Rankings from U.S. News and Washington Monthly
Canton, NY (09/22/2026) — SUNY Canton earned several prestigious rankings in U.S. News & World Report's 2027 Best Colleges publication and Washington Monthly's Top 100 U.S. Rural Colleges list.
U.S. News placed the college at 22nd on the Regional Colleges (North) list, which encompasses public and private schools throughout the northeast that grant fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. When the publication measured SUNY Canton against its public peer institutions, the college was ranked 11th in the Top Public Schools (North) category.
In addition to being recognized for overall academic excellence, U.S. News ranked the college fourth place on the Best Value Regional Colleges list. The magazine also evaluates how well schools enroll and graduate Pell grant recipients, called Social Mobility, and SUNY Canton ranked 14th for 2027.
"We're building on the incredible amount of work the entire college has put forth to earn these prestigious rankings," said President Zvi Szafran. "Our most recent achievement is joining the SUNY Reconnect program, which removes financial barriers for New Yorkers who are 25 to 55 and want to earn an associate degrees in high-demand fields."
The program covers core academic costs for programs related to health care, engineering, automotive technology, HVAC, computer information systems, and more.
SUNY Canton continues to score high in U.S. News' Best Colleges for Veterans (North) category, earning sixth place this year. The college was named a lead participant in the SUNY Military Tuition Rate Program, and has earned several awards for military friendliness.
In addition to the U.S. News ranking, SUNY Canton was recently in the top tier (43rd) of Washington Monthly's Top 100 U.S. Rural Colleges.
The inaugural ranking evaluates schools that "recruit and graduate large numbers of in-state students of modest means with degrees that earn higher salaries than would be predicted given the students' demographics," according to the publication. The magazine also awarded extra points to colleges that grant large numbers of degrees that are in high demand but low supply in rural areas.
Along with the ranking, the publication lists statistics about predicted earnings of graduates after four years of graduation, compared to the net price of tuition when factoring in aid.
Discover SUNY Canton, where innovation meets opportunity. The college's career-focused educational programs emphasize hands-on and applied learning opportunities in digital design, engineering technology, health, information technology, management, public service, and veterinary technology. Faculty members bring real-world experience and exceptional academic expertise to the classroom. As a leader in online education, SUNY Canton offers unmatched flexibility with hundreds of courses and 25 comprehensive degree programs offered completely online. The SUNY Canton Kangaroos compete at the NCAA Division III level and are members of the SUNYAC. In addition to its 15 traditional teams, SUNY Canton offers coed varsity esports and cheerleading.
SUNY Canton
Lorette Murray, murrayl@canton.eduShare this Story
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